One of the first things that jumps out is the voice. Case Keenum's booming voice is back. It fills up the indoor practice bubble in the first session of the Houston Texans' rookie mini camp, leaving little doubt who's huddle this is.

The former University of Houston legend is back in command, doing what he does best, grabbing the shot much of the NFL was reluctant to give him. He flings on-the-money out passes to the sideline with seemingly little effort. He hits rookie receiver DeAndre Hopkins deep. He even overthrows Hopkins a few times (so much for that "weak" arm). He gets the offense in and out of the huddle quickly, his barked out play calls impossible to miss.

Call it the evolution of a pro quarterback. Yes, a pro quarterback.

The doubts that Case Keenum — who treated all-time NCAA passing records like mere speed bumps at UH — can play at the NFL level have been more than a little ridiculous from the beginning. Art Briles, Kevin Sumlin and now Gary Kubiak have all shown belief in this once unheralded prospect from West Texas. Those are three coaches who've proven they know a little something about the quarterback position.

It's no longer crazy to think that Keenum could emerge as Schaub's backup coming out of training camp.

It might be time for others to grudgingly acknowledge Keenum's ability, his progress. That's clearly emerged as one of the stories of this five-practice, three-day weekend camp. Whether the doubters want to believe it or not.

"It feels completely different coming in here now than it did a year ago," is how Keenum puts it to CultureMap in a one-on-one interview. "My confidence, my knowledge . . . they're both much higher.

"Everything feels much more natural than it did last year."

So much so that T.J. Yates might have reason to worry. It's no longer crazy to think that Case Keenum could emerge as Matt Schaub's backup coming out of training camp. Oh, the UH man still isn't a favorite to supplant Yates for that job. Then again, Keenum's never been the favorite for any of the quarterback roles he's won in the past either.

Keenum himself isn't about to come out and say he's gunning for this job or that job. He has too much quarterback respect for that. "Sure, I've set goals for myself," is the most he'll allow.

But there's no mistaking the leap forward he's already made. Keenum will get much more of a chance to show what he can do in this year's preseason than he did last summer as an undrafted free agent. Kubiak says he plans to play No. 7 a good amount.

Wondering how to take this statement:
Does it merely mean Case is up to the level of T.J. and Matt...?
or
Does it mean the depth chart is fluid and neither T.J., Matt, nor Case have locked down their spots....?

I'm hoping against hope it's the second one. If not this year, then in 2014.

Extension or no, I have no issue with Keenum pushing Schaub for that job. I want the most capable guy to hit the field.

I think it means that Kubiak is saying nice things about his quarterback because there is no incentive to say bad things about a guy who want to instill confidence in.

I would fall out of my chair if Case was actually competitive with TJ or Matt. Just not seeing it.

I think it means that Kubiak is saying nice things about his quarterback because there is no incentive to say bad things about a guy who want to instill confidence in.

I would fall out of my chair if Case was actually competitive with TJ or Matt. Just not seeing it.

Any particular reasons or insights you'd like to share that made you reach this conclusion? I would be utterly shocked if Case passed Schaub, but not necessarily Yates. It should make for an interesting OTA and TC battle.

__________________
“Of course, if one ignores contradictory observations, one can claim to have an ‘elegant’ or ‘robust’ theory. But it isn’t science.”
— Halton Arp

Perhaps he means that nobody expected the #32 overall pick in the 2001 draft to be an NFL starter just like nobody expects a UDFA who wasn't one of the 253 players taken in the 2012 draft to be an NFL starter.

If so, he'd be absolutely and totally dead wrong, but perhaps that's what he means.

__________________
Being a D-bag and being factually correct are not in any way mutually exclusive!

There's a certain mainstay radio host that happens to have a son as a college QB prospect and has a good relationship with a certain coach of West Virginia that was Keenum's one time coach at UH that will [paraphrased] "Play in the NFL"....

Keenum is short by BQ standards but can make all the throws and is mobile.

There's a certain mainstay radio host that happens to have a son as a college QB prospect and has a good relationship with a certain coach of West Virginia that was Keenum's one time coach at UH that will [paraphrased] "Play in the NFL"....

Keenum is short by BQ standards but can make all the throws and is mobile.

Of course that doesn't work in the NFL.

Signed,

Drew Brees, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson

Kaep is 6'5", but both Brees and Wilson overcame height questions, which is one of the knocks on Keenum.

Perhaps he means that nobody expected the #32 overall pick in the 2001 draft to be an NFL starter just like nobody expects a UDFA who wasn't one of the 253 players taken in the 2012 draft to be an NFL starter.

If so, he'd be absolutely and totally dead wrong, but perhaps that's what he means.

Why would you take a guy with the #32 pick if you didn't expect him to be a starter? I know I expected him to be a starter with the Chargers when they picked him there and from what I remember, I wasn't alone.

Why would you take a guy with the #32 pick if you didn't expect him to be a starter? I know I expected him to be a starter with the Chargers when they picked him there and from what I remember, I wasn't alone.

Depends on who their QB was the previous season.
Oh... Ryan Leaf...
Ummm... Never mind.

Which may be the worst post-draft article ever ever written. Can't say I'm a fan of any of his NFL writing, which is appears to be written to provoke a response. Like this one.

Case Keenum has looked fine in the camp with no pads on and no real pass rush. Not like WOWWEEE hyperbole good though.

Does look better than last year. Which damns with the faintest of praise. Both TJ and Case had rough preseasons.

I can't buy any of the successor talk or the displacing TJ talk. Looks like a hype article.

Yes, I've heard Kubiak really likes Case. But hard to see him as an NFL starter.

"Pizza Man" worked out great for us. But there were many at the time that felt that Farley would have been the better pick. As far as the Peyton article, it wasn't way out there. Luck enthusiasm quickly seemed to supplant the loss of Manning.

As far as Yates and Keenum having had a rough preseason last year. Yates was in his 2nd year (with NFL starter "experience"), and Keenum was the rookie just barely trying to find his way in a new system.

Keenum may or may not happen to make it to starter status in the NFL. We will be a step closer to finding out during this preseason. However, from everything that I've seen thus far, I find it much harder to ever see Yates as a "legitimate" NFL starter. With that said, I sincerely hope that the 2nd and 3rd QB spot is made "open" to competition this year......and not in facade only.

Why would you take a guy with the #32 pick if you didn't expect him to be a starter? I know I expected him to be a starter with the Chargers when they picked him there and from what I remember, I wasn't alone.

I'm basically saying there was no surprise to Brees as the #32 pick becoming an NFL starter, and any comparison to Keenum is simply way off base.

The same is true of Kaepernick and Wilson. Kaepernick was the #36 overall pick in 2011, and Wilson was the 75th overall pick in 2012. Clearly the expectations for both were considerably higher than a player who didn't get selected at all in 253 picks. Granted, Wilson has surpassed those expectations (as has Kaepernick), but to say that we should base our expectations of a UDFA on overachieving 2nd and third round picks is simply wrong. Keenum might make it - and trust me, I would live it if he did, but I don't think there's much more reason to believe it after 3 days of rookie camp than there was after the first round of OTA's last season when there were a number of folks claiming that Case had to make the season opening 53 man roster because he would never make it through waivers - or that if by some miracle he did slip through waivers, he'd never last on the PS because some other team would pick him up.

The bottom line is Case could well become a serviceable QB in the NFL, and he may even become a starter, but to look at where we are right now and think it's a given - or even likely - is absolute folly.

__________________
Being a D-bag and being factually correct are not in any way mutually exclusive!

Just happened across this nice write up of Keenum by a sportwriter that has won six national Associated Press Sports Editor awards in six years (And no, he is not a U of H grad).

With creds like that, you'd think he knows how this works.

I honestly believe Kubiak likes Yates too much to just let him walk. If Case has come as far as this guy believes, the most he'll do is force Kubiak to carry three QBs on the 53.

If there's an injury that sidelines Matt for a game or more, Kubiak is better off with Yates & Keenum on the dole, than straight dumping Yates.

I still believe if Keenum doesn't impress enough to make the 53, another team may take him if we try to get him back to the practice squad. If that happens, expect to see Collin Klien on our PS & Kubiak would be just as happy.

There's a certain mainstay radio host that happens to have a son as a college QB prospect and has a good relationship with a certain coach of West Virginia that was Keenum's one time coach at UH that will [paraphrased] "Play in the NFL"....

Keenum is short by BQ standards but can make all the throws and is mobile.

Of course that doesn't work in the NFL.

Signed,

Drew Brees, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson

Those guys are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round draft picks. Case not only went undrafted but then got cut and then spent the entire year on the practice squad where he could have been signed by any team at any time.

I personally don't want or need a Tony Romo 2.0 playing for my team.

__________________I am in an abusive relationship with life and I am to cowardly to leave it. - Homer Simpson.